


A Grandma's Prayer

by TwistedRocketPower



Series: The Serenity Prayer [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 07:09:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11686602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedRocketPower/pseuds/TwistedRocketPower
Summary: For the first time since he came out, Dan's grandmother is coming for a visit, and he is nervous.





	A Grandma's Prayer

_“God you have blessed me indeed_

_as the child I love has had a child I love_

_with all that is within me..."_

 

 

“She’s going to be here tomorrow!” Dan exclaimed, slightly panicked.

“I know, Dan. You’ve told me about ten times already.”

“Do you think she’ll actually show up?”

“Of course she will.”

“But, what if she doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll have a lot of cake to eat.”

Dan glared over at Phil. “I’m serious, Phil.”

Phil sighed, closing down his laptop to give Dan full attention. “If she doesn’t show up, we’ll figure it out. But she will show up. She’s already called today to confirm her time getting here. She’s excited to see you, Dan.”

“It’s just been a long time,” Dan said, lifting his hand to his mouth to bite a nail.

“I know it. It’ll be fine though, I promise.”

 

Dan had gone nine months without hearing from his grandma. The last time had been a week before his coming out video. Then, one day she called him. It was a short conversation, but it meant a lot to Dan. She asked how he had been, said she’d like to still have a relationship with him, and told him she loved him.

They had talked a couple more times since then, but now she was coming to visit. She was coming to visit the apartment Dan lived in with his boyfriend. His boyfriend that she didn’t know about.

Dan was going to let her stay in his room, and he was going to stay on the couch. Phil had offered to give up his own room, but Dan declined.

He wasn’t nervous when she first said she was coming. He was just excited to see her.

But now he was thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong. And Phil just kept trying to remind him of all the ways it could go right.

It didn’t help very much.

 

“Are you sure you cleaned the bathroom?” Dan asked. It was two o’clock in the morning and he had been running around the house, cleaning every inch for the last four hours.

“I’m positive, Dan. My hands still smell of cleaning supplies. Wanna sniff?” He held his hand up to Dan’s face, but Dan pushed it away.

“No, I don’t want to sniff, Phil. I need to vacuum the hallway.”

“You already vacuumed the hallway!” Phil exclaimed, but it was too late. Dan was already going to get the vacuum.

Phil wanted to help. He really did. And he had been helping all day. But there was nothing left to clean. Every inch of the place was spotless.

So, while Dan re-vacuumed the hall floor, Phil went to his room to change into pyjamas.

By the time he had changed and put his clothes in the dirty clothes bin, the vacuum had stopped, so Phil went to see what Dan was doing now.

He searched for him until he reached the bathroom, where Dan was currently on his hands and knees, rearranging the towels in their cabinet.

“Dan,” Phil said, leaning against the door frame.

Dan jumped slightly, looking back at Phil with wide eyes. “Oh, hi! I’m just-”

“Re-cleaning the bathroom?”

“Um… Yes?” He replied, looking guilty.

Phil reached out a hand for Dan to take. “Okay, come on.”

“What?”

“Come on,” Phil repeated, wiggling his fingers until Dan took his hand.

Phil helped to pull Dan up, then led him to his room.

He opened Dan’s pyjama drawer and pulled out a t-shirt and shorts, then handed them to Dan. “Get changed and be in my room in five minutes. Have you brushed your teeth already?”

“Yeah,” Dan replied, confused.

“Okay. Five minutes.”

He left Dan’s room and went to his own.

When Dan came in five minutes later, Phil was under the covers, with Dan’s side of the bed turned down so he could lie down.

“Come on,” Phil said, patting the bed.

“Phil, this is ridiculous!” Dan replied, crossing his arms and refusing to move from the doorway.

“It’s two in the morning, Dan. We have to be up at eight so we’re ready by the time she gets here. We’re going to bed.”

“There’s still a lot of stuff to do!” Dan whined.

“There’s nothing to do! You’re just redoing what you’ve already done. Now, _please_ come to bed.”

Dan sighed, but grumpily made his way over to the bed, mumbling incoherently as he did so.

“What was that?” Phil asked with a smirk.

“I said you can be really annoying sometimes,” Dan replied, throwing the covers over himself.

Phil leaned over and gave Dan a kiss on the cheek. “I love you too,” he said, cuddling up to Dan. He put his head on Dan’s chest, wrapping an arm around his waist.

They laid silently for a minute before Dan mumbled out, “Love you.”

Five minutes later, his breathing had evened out and he was sound asleep.

 

“What time is it?” Dan asked, pacing the floor.

“Two minutes since the last time you asked.”

“When did she say she’d get here?”

“At noon.”

“Okay. Okay, so we still have a couple more-” Dan was cut off by the sound of a knock on their door.

“Must be her!” Phil said, smiling as he stood up.

Dan stood motionless.

“Do you want me to get it?” Phil asked.

Dan nodded.

“Alright.” Phil walked over to the door and opened it, smiling widely at Dan’s grandma.

“Hello!” He greeted. “I’m Phil, Dan’s roommate!” He reached out a hand for her to shake, which she did, smiling back at him.

“I’m Olivia,” she replied. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Come on in,” Phil said, moving over so she could come inside. “I can take your things for you,” he said, reaching out to take her luggage.

“Thank you, Dear,” she said, handing it to him.

She looked over to see Dan standing there in the living room, as he had been since she knocked.

“Oh, Daniel!” She exclaimed, walking over to him and giving him a hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

“You too, Grandma,” he replied, returning the hug.

“Um, I’m going to go put your things in Dan’s room,” Phil said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Have a seat, Grandma,” Dan said as Phil left to give them some time to catch up. “Would you like a drink or anything?”

“No, Honey, I’m fine,” she replied, sitting down on the couch.

Dan sat down in a chair. “Are you hungry? I figured we’d go out for lunch and have dinner here tonight.”

“I had some toast this morning, but nothing since then, so I am a bit hungry.”

“Alright. Well, I’ll go get my wallet and we’ll go,” Dan said, standing back up.

“Isn’t Phil coming with us?” Olivia asked.

“Um, he can, if you want? I think he didn’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense! It would be rude to go without him. Tell him to stop pretending he’s busy in the back of the flat and join us for lunch.”

Dan smiled. “Yes, Grandma,” he said, heading down the hall to go find Phil.

 

“He was such a cute little boy!” Olivia bragged as they waited at the cafe for their food to arrive.

“I’ve been wondering what he looked like when he was young,” Phil replied. “He doesn’t have many photos of himself.”

“Because I looked ridiculous!” Dan exclaimed.

“Oh, hush!” Olivia replied, reaching over and patting his hand. “You were the cutest. Still are, in my opinion.” She leaned over the table to whisper to Phil, “And I brought photos along with me, so we’ll look over them tonight.”

“That’ll be fun!” Phil said, his face lighting up.

“Oh my gosh,” Dan groaned.

“Now, Phil,” Olivia said, ignoring Dan. “Tell me about you. You do videos like Dan, correct?”

“Yes, Ma’am-”

“No ma’am needed here, Honey. Olivia or Grandma is fine.”

“Alright, Olivia,” Phil replied, trying out the name. “I do make videos, like Dan. I’ve been making videos on YouTube for a decade now.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes, I love it. Sometimes it can be stressful. There’s a lot of people watching, and they want new videos all the time, but I try to ignore that so I can create good content.”

“That’s good, that’s good. I’ve been watching a lot of YouTubers recently, and some of them spit out videos every day. It’s a bit much.”

Phil nodded. “I agree.”

“You watch YouTube, Grandma?” Dan asked.

“Yes, I do. I’ve always watched you, Daniel, but then one day the website suggested some other videos and I started clicking. One thing led to another, and I almost missed my Bible study that night.”

“You sound like Dan,” Phil replied with a laugh. “He’ll say he’s getting on his laptop for a few minutes, then I’m coming out of my room at 3am for a glass of water and he’s still on the couch scrolling.”

“Hey, let’s not spill all of Dan’s dirty laundry today,” Dan replied, picking up his cup of water to take a sip.

“Quiet down, you,” Olivia replied to Dan, winking at Phil. “Philip and I are talking.”

 

“And this is after he lost his first tooth,” Olivia said, handing Phil the photo.

“Oh my gosh! Toothless Dan is adorable!”

Dan came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of tea and coffee for each of them. “Are you still not finished looking through all of those?” He asked.

“Dan, your grandma just promised to adopt me as her own,” Phil said excitedly.

Olivia reached over and patted his leg. “He’s a darling boy, Dan. A perfect friend.”

“Aw! Thank you, Grandma,” Phil replied, opening his arms for a hug.

Dan rolled his eyes as they hugged. “My grandmother comes to visit me and I’m replaced!” He said, half joking. “I should have known. You _are_ irresistible.”

He blushed when he realized what he had said, but neither Phil or Olivia seemed to notice. Olivia simply continued showing Phil more photos of young Dan.

 

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Phil said, grabbing his jacket before heading out to the store. He said he was going to pick up something to make for dinner, but he was really leaving to give Olivia and Dan some time alone.

Because Olivia was in the restroom, Dan gave Phil a quick kiss on the cheek. “Love You. Be safe.”

“Love you too,” Phil replied before walking out the door.

A few seconds later, Olivia was walking back out to the living room. “Did Phil leave? I thought I heard the front door.”

“Yes. He went to the store. He’ll be back soon.”

“Alright.” She sat back down on the couch and patted a spot beside her. “Come sit with me, Daniel.”

Dan sat down on the other end of the couch, so they could see each other easily as they talked.

He couldn’t help that his heart was racing. It was the first time they’d really been alone all day, and he was so nervous.

“How was your trip?” Dan asked, not sure what to say.

“It was fine, Honey. That’s not what I want to talk about though.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I want to apologize, first of all. I took far too long to call you, and I shouldn’t have waited.”

“Oh, Grandma, you don’t have to apologize,” Dan said, surprised that that’s what she wanted to say.

“I do. I was worried because I know how your parents reacted, and I was afraid that speaking with me may be too hard. It took me some time to realize that was a poor excuse, and I am sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, Grandma, really.”

Olivia sighed. “Daniel, I don’t want you to be nervous around me. We’ve always been so close, and I don’t want that to change. When I saw your video, I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting it. Honestly, I did feel a bit hurt at first.”

Dan bit at his bottom lip, and Olivia was quick to continue. “However, YouTube suggested other coming out videos to me, so I started clicking on them. I saw one after another. Kids and adults coming out to family members, crying their eyes out, looking absolutely terrified. I thought, no one would just choose this! No one would choose to be this scared. By the time I finished watching, I was hurting for a different reason.”

Olivia moved closer to Dan, reaching out to take his hand. “Darling, I don’t hate you. Please know that. I don’t think you’re a bad person. I don’t judge you. I am sorry about your parents. Hopefully they’ll see things differently one day. But, even if they don’t, you will always have me.”

Dan’s eyes were filled with tears, and he couldn’t stop his bottom lip from trembling. “Thank you,” he said, his voice quiet and shaky.

“Oh, come here,” she said, wrapping him up in a hug.

He held onto her tight, letting a few tears fall.

When they finally let go of one another, Olivia wiped the tears off of Dan’s face and patted his cheeks. “You’ve found a lovely partner, Daniel. Philip is a wonderful man.”

Dan took a deep breath. “Grandma, how did-”

“I’ve been around for a while. I know love when I see it.”

“He’s very nice,” Dan replied. “He’s helped me a lot, and he never pressured me or anything. I made all the choices I made because they were right for me, not because he persuaded me or anything.”

“Well, I know that, Honey. You’ve always been strong-willed. If it wasn’t right for you, you wouldn’t have done it.”

Dan sighed. “I just get worried because Dad said-”

“Your father has said a lot of stupid things in his lifetime,” Olivia replied, waving her hand in dismissal. “Some of which I may need to remind him of one day. Phil is perfect for you, Daniel, and he seems to love you very much.”

Dan nodded, unable to stop himself from smiling. “He does.”

“Good. Now, I heard you’re attending a new church, correct?”

“Yes,” Dan replied, lighting up at being able to talk about church with his grandma. “I really think you’d like it too. You’ll be here Sunday, right?”

“I will.”

“Would you like to come?”

“I’d love to! Tell me all about it.”

 

Although Olivia stayed for almost a week, it seemed like too short of a time by the time she was leaving. Dan loved being around his grandma, and it was even better now that he no longer had to hide a part of himself.

Phil loved her too. They got along great, and both enjoyed telling stories about Dan- much to Dan’s chagrin.

“Are you sure you can’t stay longer?” Phil asked, giving Olivia a hug at the door.

“Oh, I’d love to, but the ladies at my Bible study would think I was trying to get out of my hosting duties this week.”

“Would they be wrong?” Dan asked.

“Not a bit. But, I’ve faked illness for two of my turns, and I don’t think I’d get by with another excuse.”

Olivia pulled Dan in for one last hug.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to go with you to the train station?” Dan asked.

“Please, no. I enjoy talking with the cab driver. They love my nosey questions about their lives.”

“Let us know when you get home,” Phil said.

“I will, Dear. Goodbye, Children!”

“Goodbye, Grandma!” They both replied.

Once she was out of sight, Phil closed the door.

“That went well,” Dan said, immediately wrapping his arms around Phil’s waist.

“I told you so,” Phil replied smugly, returning Dan’s hug and kissing the top of his head.

Dan pinched his back, causing Phil to yelp. “Don’t gloat,” he mumbled. “It’s rude.”

“Pinching me is rude!” Phil replied, pinching Dan back.

“Ow!”

“That’s what you get.”

Dan pulled away from Phil with a glare. He walked over to the couch and sat down. “Did you like her?” He asked.

“I loved her. She’s fantastic,” Phil replied, joining Dan on the couch. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about? My grandma came to see me and I’m pretty sure she ended up liking you more.”

“No she didn’t!” Phil said with a laugh.

“Yes, she did! She gave _me_ the ‘Don’t you ever hurt him’ speech! You should’ve gotten that speech!”

Phil leaned into Dan’s side, wrapping his arms around Dan’s waist. “Don’t be jealous, Danny. She can’t help it. It’s like you said a few days ago, I’m irresistible.”

Dan rolled his eyes, reaching over and pinching Phil’s shoulder. “Irritating is more like it.”

 

When Olivia got into the taxi, she pulled a card out of her luggage and stared down at it.

A friend from her church had handed the card out to all the grandma's in her social group. It was a prayer for grandparents, and it was after she read it that she knew she needed to reconnect with Dan. She wanted to be there for her grandchildren no matter what. She wouldn't let something so silly as Dan loving another boy get in the way of that. Especially when that boy was as wonderful to him as Phil was.

She stared down at the prayer, smiling as she read it to herself.

 

_“God you have blessed me indeed_

_as the child I love has had a child I love_

_with all that is within me._

_I pray that in Your mercy, You watch over_

_and protect my grandchildren_

_as you have always done for me._

_May their lives be long and healthy._

_May they have the courage to follow their dreams,_

_and should the day come_

_when I am no longer on Earth with them,_

_may they look back upon me with fond memories._

_And may they never forget_

_that they were and always will be_

_deeply loved by me."_

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! The prayer at the beginning is called A Grandparent's Prayer by Jane Craft.
> 
> tumblr: softgolftechniques


End file.
